10 Summer Football Transfers That Came Completely Out Of Nowhere

When news broke that West Ham United had suddenly signed Argentinian aces Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano on 31 August 2006 for an undisclosed fee, fans all over the globe were left scratching their heads at exactly how this stunning deal had come about.

Both players were key parts of their country's recent World Cup squad and, after their impressive displays throughout the tournament, a move to a big club seemed inevitable for the pair. But, here they were, signing for a club which had finished 9th in the Premier League the year prior.

This wasn't your typical transfer, however, as it was later revealed that the Hammers had actually signed the Corinthians players from third party owners Media Sports Investment and Global Soccer Agencies, who owned the rights to both.

In the end, the nature of the peculiar deals would eventually lead to West Ham being fined a record £5.5 million by the Premier League due to breaking third party ownership rules.

Mascherano ended up leaving the club mid-way through the season, but Tevez would eventually score the goal which kept West Ham from going down before moving to Manchester United in August 2007.

Their time with the Hammers may have been brief, but it was certainly eventful and still ranks as one of the craziest transfer events of all time.